I enjoyed the mix of fictional characters alongside many real and notable Edinburgh citizens of the time. I loved the detail about the scents, the botany (who knew about the rivalry between Kew and other botanical gardens?

A seductive and sensual romp that intrigues with every page and reflects the hearty and exciting decade that drew the Enlightenment to a close with all its rambunctious pleasures and intellectual vigour. Belle was my favourite and I admired her determination to live life on her own terms regardless of what anyone else thought. It’s around this extraordinary moment in Edinburgh history – and the historic visit of George IV to the city later that summer, which led to what became known as the “Daft Days” of runaway royalist enthusiasm.

It is then that she meets the vivacious and mysterious Belle Brodie, a woman with a passion for botany and the lucrative, dark art of perfume creation.

Other characterisations were well done, apart from Elizabeth who came out a bit too naive, I thought I was put off by the present-tense narrative, but that's just a personal opinion. Clementina is a newcomer to the city, she is to live with her inlaws after the death of her husband. But as Elizabeth and Belle are about to discover, secrets don't last long in this Enlightenment city. The book itself centres around a rare plant that flowers only once in its life – and let’s just say that many of the characters have their own needs and vested interests when it comes to flowers, seeds and the like!Mentions of various historical figures were great and it helped keep me well and truly in the time and setting of the story. However I cannot fault the atmosphere, originality of the setting or Sara Sheridan’s bustling portrait of Edinburgh as a city of possibility. Belle is determined to keep her real identity and the reason for her interest in the garden secret from her new friend. That happened in the past, and thus should be past tense – a simple change from ‘has’ to ‘had’ would go a long way in making this passage feel less awkward to read. Now, I won’t say that nothing happens, because events do certainly take place, but the plot crawls along at a snail’s pace, without even giving you the courtesy of wondering what sort of snail it is based on its shell.

Putting aside the fact that we didn’t need to know what Mhairi had for breakfast (or the manner in which her breakfast is served – this description goes on for a while), she is also currently not breaking her fast. I am struggling to say which genre this is, not a mystery or a romance, too light hearted to be literary fiction so I am leaving it at historical fiction. Set against the lush backdrop of the Royal Botanical Gardens in Edinburgh, Sheridan has created a vibrant, vivid world to disappear into.Os vais a reír, pero descubrí este libro gracias al Reading Room de Camila, alias la Duquesa de Cornualles. But moving on from bones and corset boning (or lack thereof), let's move onto another area where this book struggled: the tense. I love when you smell, touch and clearly see in your inward eye – quoting one of my favourite Romantic poets, Wordsworth - what the words narrate and describe. Set in 19th century Edinburgh when the New Town is being built, the city is preparing for a Royal visit from King George IV, and botanists are getting excited about the imminent flowering of the Agave Americana.